5.1 Needs Assessment
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Candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs. (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a)
The objective of this standard 5.1, Needs Assessment, covers many different aspects of the school, faculty, grade-level, subject area, and even the individual teacher in terms of being able to conduct a needs assessment to determine specific strengths and weaknesses of all these aspects. These three artifacts, the GAPSS Reviews (A & B) and the Individual Teacher Technology Assessment, all created in ITEC 7460, have made it possible for me to truly understand and to not only conduct a needs assessment, but use the data collected to make informed decisions about the content and delivery of the technology-based professional learning program.
GAPSS Part A – Professional Learning Current Reality
All three artifacts exhibit my ability to conduct a needs assessment to determine strengths and weaknesses from the school level to the individual teacher level. By using the district and school’s mission and vision for technology usage in the GAPSS Part A artifact, and by identifying professional learning needs, actual forms of professional learning being implemented, and the technology-related professional learning opportunities available, I was able to make informed decisions on future professional learning opportunities that were technology driven which were aligned to the school improvement goals. These recommended opportunities would be able to be funded and also had teacher incentives to participate in the professional learning opportunities.
GAPSS Part B – The GAPSS Review
By digging into the current state of the school, I was able to use the needs assessment in Part A to complete the review in Part B. For each of the GAPSS Standards, I had to identify if the school was in the following levels of implementation:
• Not Addressed
• Emergent
• Operational
• Fully Operational
This information helped to paint a professional learning picture for the school as a whole, while at the same time, focusing on the individual teacher’s needs when conducting a needs analysis for any specific teacher at the school.
Individual Teacher Technology Assessment
Working with the teacher on the individual level allowed me to inform the content and delivery by providing specific technology-based professional learning opportunities that were needed based on the results from the technology assessment. The teacher became aware of her needs and took advantage of those opportunities.
I learned that by completing the GAPSS Review A & B, it will be much easier to attack this type of review with a team. Documentation needs to be collected and aligned, and this type of review is just too large for one person to handle. By including more people as a team, this one different act would drastically improve the overall credibility and accuracy of the findings, not to mention limiting bias.
The work that went into creating all of these artifacts will directly relate to the positive impact on school improvement and faculty development. When the faculty improves with data driven professional development opportunities, the school and all stakeholders are the real winners. The impact can be assessed by the actual GAPSS review being conducted in the 2016-2017 school year, as we already had a test run with my results the previous year. (I am not worried, we have an amazing administration and faculty!)
GAPSS Part A – Professional Learning Current Reality
All three artifacts exhibit my ability to conduct a needs assessment to determine strengths and weaknesses from the school level to the individual teacher level. By using the district and school’s mission and vision for technology usage in the GAPSS Part A artifact, and by identifying professional learning needs, actual forms of professional learning being implemented, and the technology-related professional learning opportunities available, I was able to make informed decisions on future professional learning opportunities that were technology driven which were aligned to the school improvement goals. These recommended opportunities would be able to be funded and also had teacher incentives to participate in the professional learning opportunities.
GAPSS Part B – The GAPSS Review
By digging into the current state of the school, I was able to use the needs assessment in Part A to complete the review in Part B. For each of the GAPSS Standards, I had to identify if the school was in the following levels of implementation:
• Not Addressed
• Emergent
• Operational
• Fully Operational
This information helped to paint a professional learning picture for the school as a whole, while at the same time, focusing on the individual teacher’s needs when conducting a needs analysis for any specific teacher at the school.
Individual Teacher Technology Assessment
Working with the teacher on the individual level allowed me to inform the content and delivery by providing specific technology-based professional learning opportunities that were needed based on the results from the technology assessment. The teacher became aware of her needs and took advantage of those opportunities.
I learned that by completing the GAPSS Review A & B, it will be much easier to attack this type of review with a team. Documentation needs to be collected and aligned, and this type of review is just too large for one person to handle. By including more people as a team, this one different act would drastically improve the overall credibility and accuracy of the findings, not to mention limiting bias.
The work that went into creating all of these artifacts will directly relate to the positive impact on school improvement and faculty development. When the faculty improves with data driven professional development opportunities, the school and all stakeholders are the real winners. The impact can be assessed by the actual GAPSS review being conducted in the 2016-2017 school year, as we already had a test run with my results the previous year. (I am not worried, we have an amazing administration and faculty!)